UK’s Largest Pork Producer Debuts Vegan Deli Meat

Danish brand Tulip Limited—the largest pork producer in the United Kingdom—unveiled its first vegan line The Green Butcher. The new line will hit shelves at retailer Co-op this month with its flagship product Vegan Slices with Peppers with more products in development. “We’ve worked hard to develop the product in collaboration with Co-op and the slices demonstrate our capabilities as a modern food manufacturer to meet the evolving needs of the market,” Sam Reader, Tulip’s new product development and innovation controller, told Global Meat News. “We knew that if we were going to create a vegan product, we wanted to offer a healthier option for consumers and with our slices containing real vegetables, we have a big point of differentiation from other products in the sector.” In August, meat company Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation—one of the largest chicken producers in the United States with a presence in Europe—announced its acquisition of Tulip, which it valued at £290 million ($370.5 million). Statewide, several meat companies have released vegan meat lines, including pork giants Hormel (which debuted Unseasoned Plant-Based Ground Product under its Happy Little Plants line last month) and Smithfield Foods (which now sells vegan breakfast patties, dairy-free-cheese-stuffed burgers, meatballs, and more under its Pure Farmland brand).